Why?
by imdeadsothere
Summary: It it too much to ask to just be able to walk his best friend home without everyone wondering why? SLASH. ONE-SHOT.


"Why?"

That was the question they always asked. Why. Always why, why, why.

Ron trudged along in the rain, he's left in an angry hurry and had forgotten his umbrella. But he didn't mind so much. At least the rain wasn't asking why.

Ron reached the place before he knew it. He stared up in a slight stunned silence. Maybe his anger had made him walk faster. Checking his watch he realized he was quite a bit early. Oh well, he entered the place.

Instantly his nostrils were filled with the smell of fresh baked cookies.

"Wow," he breathed.

"You're early," a familiar voice noted.

"Hey Harry," Ron said, spotting the man holding a large platter filled with freshly baked cookies, "I left a bit early," he explained.

Harry smiled.

"If there's any cookies left over you can have them," Harry said.

"Why can't I have one now?" Ron asked.

"Children first," Harry replied, stepping around Ron and through another door. The door didn't shut all the way, and Ron peeked through.

"Hey guys!" Harry said cheerfully, as a mob of young children quickly swarmed him and the cookies.

"No fighting," Harry said sternly, "Jeremy, let go of Lisa's hair, c'mon now guys, get to your chairs and I'll give you a cookie, chop-chop or no cookies!" Harry said. The children quickly scurried to their seats. Nothing like the promise of cookies to get children to behave.

Ron loved how good Harry was with children, and he was glad that Harry hadn't listened when everyone started criticizing him for taking the job working with children, much less, muggle children. Well they could all just go do something that he was not even going to think about because he was in the presence of children.

Ron turned away from the door, leaning back against the wall, his mind faded back to not to long ago, and everyone's stupid why.

Like he couldn't be a good friend without people questioning him. So what if it was raining? So what if Harry was perfectly capable of walking himself home? That didn't mean that he couldn't walk him home anyway, right?

"So, what's going on?" Ron looked up as Harry came through the door, two cookies in his hands. He passed one to Ron, who eagerly took a bite.

It was positively delicious.

"Did you make these?" Ron asked.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked, gently nibbling on his own.

"Love it!" Ron said eagerly, taking another bite. Harry smiled.

"I'll have to make you a batch sometime, so, what's up?"

"Oh, not much," Ron said.

"Doesn't seem like not much, you looked pretty ruffled when you walked in."

"Just, family stuff," Ron replied.

"Can you tell me?"

"Well, everyone's getting on my case about… stuff."

"Am I allowed to ask what sort of stuff?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, just, well, about you mostly."

"Is it about you walking me home?"

"Yeah."

"And what do they say?"

"Not very pretty stuff."

"Like?"

"About you and me, saying out friendship is unnatural, that I'm too attached, that kind of… stuff."

"Again?"

"Yeah, again." Harry was silent for a moment.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I like it when you walk me home."

"Do you?"

"Yeah, it's… nice. And I like the company."

"Well that's good to hear, because I like walking you home," Ron replied. Harry smiled.

"I should go and check back on the kids, we've got two volunteers today from the local high school helping out, but you know how I am."

"A total control freak?" Harry laughed.

"To put it lightly, yes," Harry replied, "You can just hang around here if you like, I'll be out in a few, there are some umbrellas by the door, feel free to grab one I'll return it in the morning," Harry said, slipping back through the door.

So he had noticed that Ron was completely soaked.

~.oOo.,.oOo.,.oOo.~

"Ready?" Harry asked, zipping up his coat. Ron tightly gripped the umbrella that he'd fetched from the stand by the door, right where Harry had said they would be.

"Of course," Ron replied, opening the door up, making sure he was fully outside before opening the umbrella up. He wasn't superstitious, but you can't blame a guy for being cautious. Harry came out after him, making sure to lock the door of the daycare behind him.

"Okay, c'mon," Harry said, once the door was secure. They began their walk in silence, having to stand closer to each other than usual to make sure the umbrella covered them both, but both still trying to not touch the other.

"Oh screw it," Ron finally said, switching the umbrella to the other hand and using his free one to wrap it tightly around Harry's shoulders and pull him close to him. Fortunately, Harry let him. Though Ron wasn't sure if it was because Harry liked having Ron's arm around him, or because it made it much easier for them to both stand under the umbrella.

"So, how was work?" Ron asked. Harry smiled.

"Pretty good actually," Harry replied.

"No one blow anything up?" Harry laughed.

"No, no one blew anything up, though Jeremy did manage to flip the playhouse over."

"I hope no one was under it," Ron said.

"Fortunately not, by pure luck Lisa managed to get out of the way just before it came toppling over."

"Well that's good, what about that little quiet one, Bridget?"

"Oh, she's doing really good, she's friends with Anton now."

"Anton is the mute one, isn't he?"

"Yep, they draw pictures to each other."

"Aww, that's cute," Ron said, smiling.

"Yeah, it is," Harry said, leaning his head against Ron's shoulder.

"Think you're ever going to have children?" Ron asked.

"Probably not," Harry said quietly.

"Why not? You love children," Ron said.

"Oh, it's not that, it's just…"

"You can't?"

"In a sense," Harry said quietly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked.

"Just… never mind," Harry said quickly.

"No, really, I want to know," Ron said. Harry smiled softly.

"Later, okay?"

"I'll hold you to that," Ron said, he pulled him in tighter, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

~.oOo.,.oOo.,.oOo.~

"I swear, your relationship with Harry is just not right," a shrill voice interrupted Ron just as he was putting his coat on. Ron stopped. He had had a bloody enough of this.

"What gives you the right to say anything anyway?" Ron asked, whirling around to face his sister.

"I'm just saying, keep up with this and people might think you're gay or something," Ginny said.

"And what if I said I didn't give a fuck, because I don't. Honestly I feel sorry that they don't have a friend good enough to walk them home every day after work."

"Well, I'm just saying, it's not healthy, boys and boys, it's just wrong."

"Says who? You? Well don't, because it's stupid and bigoted and people should be allowed to love whoever the hell they want."

Ginny looked up at him, her eyes slimmed.

"And why do you even care, are you gay?"

"Does it matter?"

"Because I would say you are, you're always chasing after Harry like some pathetic love-struck schoolboy."

"He's my friend!"

"So? He's straight, and he's never going to love you."

"Like he's ever going to love you either," Ron retorted. Ginny smirked.

"What is going on in here?" Molly called, walking in.

"Oh nothing mother," Ginny replied, "we were just talking about how Ron is maybe a little bit too attached to Harry."

"Oh, well you are a bit sweetie," Molly said, "you're always with him. You should find yourself a nice lady and settle down sometime soon."

"Well what if I don't want to," Ron snapped.

"Don't want to?" Molly looked aghast.

"What if I don't want to find a nice lady to settle down soon? What if maybe all I want is to just walk Harry home and not have everybody boo and jeer at me, questioning my every move."

"Oh Ronnie! You musn't talk like that! People might think things!"

"Well I don't care! People can think whatever they want, I'm going to walk my friend home!"

"Is everything alright here?" Hermione called, probably having heard their voices from all the way upstairs.

"No," Ron snapped.

"Is this about Harry again?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Ginny replied, "he won't listen to us when we tell him how unhealthy it is, I mean, you've got to admit, his attachment is strange."

"Well, not really," Hermione said, "my uncle once had a really close friend like that."

"Weird," Ginny said, "it's so unnatural, guys should not be with guys like that."

"They're just friends."

"Yeah but, what if they're not?"

"Should it matter?"

"Yes! Relationships like that are wrong! They can't even have children!"

"So? It's love that matters, not children, besides, they can always adopt."

"I can't believe you're taking his side in this."

"I can't believe you aren't," Hermione replied, "you're his sister, shouldn't you be supportive?"

"Not of something _wrong_!"

"Now, ladies, and Ron, why don't we all just sit down and talk this out calmly and rationally, Ron, you really should start thinking about the future, and settling down," Molly interrupted.

"Maybe I don't want to settle down," Ron shot back.

"Well of course you want to…"

"Maybe I want to settle down with Harry," Ron interrupted.

"Now Ron, I didn't raise you like that, you know that a relationship between a man and a man cannot work."

"Then I'll damn well bloody make it," Ron snapped. Turning on his heels he stormed out of the door.

Rage coursed through his veins as he stormed toward Harry's work. He was about halfway there when he realized exactly what he had just said.

Did he just say that he wanted a relationship? With Harry? As in, a _relationship_ relationship? The idea seemed a bit odd at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of it. It seemed… nice. Holding Harry, kissing Harry, loving Harry, maybe even one day living with Harry, adopting children with Harry. Wait, adopting children with… could that have been what Harry meant when he said that he probably wouldn't have children? That he couldn't because unfortunately that process requires a woman.

Could that mean…

He would have to ask Harry he decided. He reached Harry's work place, opening the door and stepping inside.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked. Ron looked over, a young girl sat by the door, reading a book.

"Yeah, I'm looking for Harry."

"Harry just left," the girl replied.

"Left? But it's only…" he checked his watch, it was nearly six. Shit. That fight must have taken longer than he'd expected.

"Was it important?" the girl asked.

"No, yes, maybe, I just, I usually walk him home," Ron said.

"Oh, you must be Ron then," she said.

"He talks about me?" Ron asked.

"All the time," the girl replied, "it's so cute, he really loves you, I bet you two make the cutest couple!" she gushed.

"The cutest cou…" Ron trailed off, "you mean, you think we're, a couple?" Ron asked.

"Of course," the girl replied, "but don't worry, it's cool, my best friend is gay." Ron blinked a few times. Well that might explain why Harry liked the muggle world so much.

"Oh, I should, I should probably go find Harry," Ron said. The girl grinned.

"Oh my gosh, yes, he looked so disappointed when you didn't show up, I hope you two work it all out!"

"Yeah, um, I'll just…" Ron turned and quickly left, he ran the entire way to Harry's house.

"Harry?" Ron called, bursting into Harry's apartment.

"Ron?" Harry's familiar voice called back, a few moments later he popped out from the kitchen.

"Oh Gods Harry," Ron breathed, stepping forward and enveloping him in a hug, "I'm so sorry I didn't come!" Harry smiled softly.

"Oh, it's okay, I figured maybe you just got caught up with something more important."

"Don't say that!" Ron said, "I was on my way out the door when my mom and Ginny started getting on my case and I lost track of time and I did come, but you'd already left and I'm so sorry! Really, I meant to come I just… I didn't see the time and I got so caught up and it'll never happen again, I swear!"

"It's fine Ron," Harry said, "really, it's once in a thousand times, I don't mind."

"Are you sure? Because it's totally okay if you mind."

"No really, I'm fine," Harry replied.

"Honest?"

"Honest."

"Well, okay then," Ron said, letting go of Harry.

"I'm baking you some cookies by the way," Harry said.

"You are?" Ron's face brightened, "Gods I love you Harry," Ron said, without really thinking about what he was saying. Harry's face brightened for a moment, before quickly falling. And Ron realized what he'd just said.

"Oh crap, I didn't mean…"

"It's okay," Harry said, "you didn't mean it like that. I know, it's not like I wanted you to mean it like that or anything," Harry said, his voice dull, sounding like it tore him apart to even think the words.

"You know what?" Ron decided, "I _did_ mean it like that." And he grabbed Harry's hands, pulling him forward and pressing their lips together. They both kissed each other eagerly, almost desperately, ad if they might never get enough chance. Only the lack of oxygen managed to break them apart.

"I really do love you Harry," Ron said, smiling down at the man.

"And you're okay with this? With us? Two men I mean? Wouldn't your mother…"

"Oh, they can go screw themselves," Ron said, "I love you Harry, and I am not letting you go, ever. I was a fool to have not taken you sooner." Harry smiled.

"Really?"

"Really," Ron said, "and don't worry, it's going to be okay, the wizarding world may hate us but we've still got the muggles, heck, we even have a fan club."

"We do?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, one of your high school volunteers started gushing over me when I showed up at the daycare center today and told her I was supposed to talk you home," Ron said. Harry laughed.

"Probably Emma," Harry said, "she's always asking about you."

"Probably," Ron replied, "but hey, I don't mind, at least it's positive."

"There's going to be a lot of negatives though," Harry said.

"Didn't I already say I don't care?" Ron said.

"Yeah, I think you did," Harry replied.

"Good, because as long as I have you, I really don't care," Ron said, and leaned in and kissed him on the lips again.


End file.
